Land Record Indexing
HDEP International has been creating historical and daily indices for counties since 1988. Working with over 400 counties has resulted in a deep understanding of county records, the pressures and stresses in county recorder offices, and the dismay that incorrectly indexed documents can cause the public and the recorder’s office.
Background
The land recording system in the United States requires county recorders to give “constructive notice” to the public about transactions affecting property. The county recorders provide notice by maintaining a grantor/grantee index which includes at least the following information:
- Date that the document was recorded
- The document type, often coded (e.g. DED, MTG, AFF, etc.)
- All grantors (sellers) and the grantees (buyers) as found on the document
- Notes related to the document (e.g. prior references, short legal description, etc.)
The grantor/grantee indices were traditionally kept in large bound books and updated each day as new documents were recorded. Starting in the 1960s, the county recorders began to electronically index the documents and make the indices available to the public as searchable electronic indices.
Current
Creating the electronic indices is a time-consuming and labor-intensive task. In addition, constructive notice is required to be given promptly, and some states have statutory requirements on the number of days that an index can be “out of date.”
How HDEP International can assist county recorders
Many county recorders have chosen to outsource the indexing of their documents to companies that specialize in this work. HDEP International is the acknowledged leader in the indexing of county records. HDEP International’s facilities are security certified for ISO 27001 and HDEP is certified by the American Land Title Association as an Elite Provider.